Meeting Public Comments

Lori De Simone []

My body my choice! HIPPA! Medical privacy and availability should be my right!

TRACY CREASON [personal]

The FDA approved the mailing of the medication for abortions in December 2021. Telehealth abortions are easier for both patients and providers. The patient has a telemedicine appointment with a provider who can prescribe abortion pills and send them to the patient by mail. The CDC reported in 2019 that 42% of abortions were done with medication. HF2119 places unnecessary restrictions on medical professionals and patients seeking reproductive healthcare. In addition, this bill does not make good medical sense, it harms patients. It puts a burden on patients as it forces them to travel twice to a medical facility, once for the first medication and back again for the second medication. With limited facilities this places a health risk as they may have to travel great distances, causes the patient stress and can cause an additional financial burden. Once again, the Republican run house is placing restrictions on Iowans that will cause harm and ARE NOT medically necessary. I urge you to vote NO on HF2119

Rue Monroe []

I am opposed to HF 2119. In 2017, medication abortion accounted for more than onethird (39%) of all abortions in the United States*. As someone who has taken Mifepristone/Misoprostol, I can attest the risks of a medical abortion (pills), are minimal. For people, like I was, who are 8 weeks pregnant or less, it works about 9498 out of 100 times*. Abortion pills taken at home are certainly no more of a risk than allowing patients to take Valium, Morphine, or Oxycodone in their own homes, and at their own discretion. Abortion pills delivered via the mail are crucial in our telemedicine world. A study of private health insurance claims showed patients using telehealth increased by 1,200% between 2012 and 2017*. With a medication abortion, I was afforded a noninvasive method. I didn't require a procedure in a medical office. I was in the comfort of my own home, with my support system, which gave me a feeling of control over my own body. An expert panel convened by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in 2018 concluded that there is no medical need for medication abortion to be administered in the physical presence of a health care provider*. I was provided ample information about side effects, and any signs that would indicate further need for medical intervention. Serious complications requiring hospitalization for infection treatment or transfusion occur in less than 0.4% of patients*. Abortion pills were the right choice for me; they allowed me to have the life I enjoy today. HF 2119 would further deny healthcare to people in rural areas, and people without access to reliable transportation. Removing barriers to clinic access for rural people or mitigating the need for travel could reduce delays in receiving care and enable individuals to obtain an abortion at the earliest stages of pregnancy, when it is safest. Iowa is already one of the worst states in terms of spatial access, along with Texas and California*. We cannot afford this loss of access to safe and legal abortion. I urge you to protect the healthcare freedoms of Iowans and vote no on HF 2119. *All stated statistics are verifiable via research from The Guttmacher Institute*